It was not a mega-project that was inaugurated, there were no billions in funding, but yesterday, Wednesday 12 February the community of La Pelada, tucked away in the mountains to the south of Jarabacoa, was able to turn on some lights thanks to a micro-generation hydro-electric project. The tiny generator powered by the waters of the Las Guazaras Creek will save the country around a quarter of a million dollars in annual fuel costs, and provide electricity to the small community.
The project brought together a range of entities including the Ministry of the Environment, the local coffee producers cooperative and the CDEEE Rural Electrification Unit. Costing just RD$10 million pesos, the project will pay for itself in fuel savings in less than a year and greatly improve the community’s quality of life.
In contrast, a group of protesters in Puerto Plata are camped out in one of the city’s parks in protest at the proposed installation of yet another massive generation plant in the bay. The protesters are saying that another generator would further damage the local environment, and scare away tourists and investments, as reported in Listin Diario. Puerto Plata has suffered since the closure of several hotels and tourism ventures after the government authorized the operation of the Smith Enron power plant in the city bay area that caused major pollution.